How to Buy Blender

Why it is important to have a decent blender in your kitchen?

This is one of those items that every kitchen should have but you don't need to spend a lot of money unless you want a high powered muscle machine with all the extra speeds. Some things you may want to look for in a new blender:

Power - the higher the wattage, the more powerful the blender. You will want a blender with at least 350 watts.

Capacity - most blenders range in size from 4 cups to 7 cups and I would suggest you buy toward the larger size so you don't have to worry about the blend overflowing the container. You'll find the large size especially helpful when you are pureeing large quantities of soups and or sauces.

Speeds - Do you really need 15 speeds to blend something? I don't think so. You really only need a fast, medium and slow speeds and the ability to pulse which is often required in some recipes.

Design - You will pay more for a sleek design and you may want that if you leave the blender on the counter, but if you store it in a cabinet and only pull it out on occasion, don't pay up just for a space age looking design. Pay more for better features like being able to remove the blades for cleaning, an extra wide motor base to provide stability and a opening for adding ingredients or letting steam out when blending hot soups. Really important is a tight fitting lid.

Materials - Glass and stainless steel are you two best choices when buying a blender. The advantage of glass is you can see what you are working with and with stainless you don't have to worry about breakage. I prefer glass so I can keep an eye on things. Plastic is ok and will be lighter than glass but after a while, the plastic scratches and can shatter.